Winnipeg's Politician demands answer from Minister Vic Toews

Three Major Blows to Winnipeg’s Medical Research Community Demands Explanation from Toews, says Duguid
MEDIA RELEASE - March 19, 2010
WINNIPEG - Manitoba’s Senior Conservative Minister Vic Toews must explain why his government has dealt three major blows to Winnipeg’s medical research community in the last three months alone, says Terry Duguid, Liberal Candidate for Winnipeg South.
In an open letter, Duguid asks Toews to explain three decisions taken by the Conservative Government that together paint a picture of a research community under siege:
- The Government’s decision to cancel an $88-million vaccine facility for which the Winnipeg-based International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID) was the leading contender. (Duguid is the former CEO of ICID)
- Winnipeg’s loss of the headquarters of the Public Health Agency of Canada, following the permanent departure of Chief Public Health Officer David Butler-Jones for Ottawa.

- There is no funding in the federal budget for a promised $300-million expansion to the National Microbiology Lab on Arlington.
“Given the serious impact on Winnipeg in terms of both job opportunities and our international reputation, I am writing this open letter because I believe that you, as Senior Minister for Manitoba, owe the public some answers,” Duguid writes.
“Under your leadership, Manitoba appears to play an ever-diminishing role in Public Health. I hope you and your colleagues in the Conservative caucus will explain just what you are doing to defend Manitoba’s interests, and Winnipeg’s role as a major centre for medical research.”
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Contact:



Terry Duguid,

Liberal Candidate for Winnipeg South

204-228-0560

tduguid@mts.net



The open letter to Vic Toews is attached.





*****





March 19, 2010



Dear Minister Toews,



In the past two months, the Federal Government has made three decisions with major implications on Winnipeg’s public health and infectious diseases community.



Given the serious impact on Winnipeg in terms of both job opportunities and our international reputation, I am writing this open letter because I believe that you, as Senior Minister for Manitoba, owe the public some answers.



1. CHVI: Winnipeg’s Loss of an $88-million Vaccine Facility



As you know, the Government of Canada cancelled the vaccine manufacturing facility portion of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI), an $88-million project to which funding had already been committed. The facility would have been self-sustaining, and Winnipeg was an outstanding candidate, not least because we have the greatest concentration of HIV/AIDS researchers in Canada.



I note that while you have been willing to comment publicly on other issues, from the funding of youth centres to the legal troubles of your former caucus colleague Rahim Jaffer, you have yet to explain the major inconsistencies in your government’s handling of the CHVI file, or even whether you objected to its cancellation.



My first questions are: What did you do to fight for Winnipeg’s bid for CHVI? Do you agree with the Health Minister’s contention that no bidder was qualified? What are you doing to ensure that HIV/AIDS researchers in Winnipeg receive their share of funds from CHVI?



2. Winnipeg Losing its Position as Headquarters for the Public Health Agency of Canada



Second, I note with concern the fact that Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, has moved to Ottawa.



When it was created, PHAC was envisioned along the lines of the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. It was located far from the national capital so that science, and not politics, could hold sway in public health decisions. Dr. Butler-Jones’ departure effectively eliminates Winnipeg as even a nominal headquarters for PHAC, with all decisions being made in Ottawa.



What are you doing to preserve Winnipeg’s role as a headquarters for the PHAC, and secure Winnipeg’s role for the future of the Agency?



3. No Funding for the Promised Expansion to the National Microbiology Lab



With the exception of a loading dock, there has been no new laboratory space added to the National Microbiology Lab for years. An article in The Winnipeg Free Press suggested that a major expansion to the lab - a project known as “L5L” - may be in the works, with a price tag of between $300-$500-million. However, the latest Federal Budget makes no mention of L5L, and your Government has made it clear that after the remainder of stimulus funds are spent, deficit reduction will be the priority.

Given the fiscal reality, is this project going to go ahead? Is the Government of Canada planning to allocate any funding to this project - even for feasibility studies?
In Conclusion
Since the Conservative government was first elected in 2006, you have been Senior Minister for Manitoba. In the last two months alone, Winnipeg has been denied a bid for an $88-million vaccine facility and appears to have lost the headquarters of the Public Health Agency Canada. A lab expansion has no funding in the federal budget - all in the midst of the biggest stimulus spending package in Canadian history.

Under your leadership, Manitoba appears to play an ever-diminishing role in Public Health. I sincerely hope this is not the case for the long term.
I hope you and your colleagues in the Conservative caucus will explain just what you are doing to defend Manitoba’s interests, and Winnipeg’s role as a major centre for medical research.
Yours,
Terry Duguid